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LEE MAN 

Marblf.head. Mass. 
1768 



The Lee Mansion 



WHAT IT WAS AND WHAT IT IS 



Miss Hannah Tutt, Historian, 
Of the Marblehead Historical Society 



Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. 

[Pro'-verbs 22:28). 



Copyright, 1911, by Marblehead Historical Society 
Printed by C. B. Webster & Co., Boston 



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LEE MANSION, MARBLEHEAD, MASS. 






It was in the year 1768 that Col. Jeremiah Lee, a wealthy merchant, then at the 
height of his prosperity, laid the foundation of his princely home among the rocks of 
the little fishing and commercial port of Marblehead. 

Fashioned as it was, after the homes of his ancestors, it needed but the hawthorne 
and the hedgerows to transport one to old England, and indeed the very timbers, of 
which it was framed, were grown in the mother country. Built at a cost of over ten 
thousand pounds, it could hardly be rivaled throughout the whole province of Massa- 
chusetts Bay — and overshadowing, with its grandeur, the humble home of the fisher 
folk, no wonder it became to them the " Mansion," and the " Lee Mansion " it has 
always been, the pride of the whole town. 

Squarely it stood upon the main highway of the little town — its three storied 
height surmounted by a cupola, which was a veritable watch tower, overlooking the 
harbor and bay where the great merchant ships could be seen, coming and going on 





PANEL IN UPPER HALL 



their journey from foreign ports, and a brilliant spectacle it must have been for its 
time, with the candle light streaming from its many checkered paned windows, on 
nights when there were great doings at the mansion, for Colonel Lee and his wife 
mistress Martha were hospitable people, noted for their generosity and public spirit. 
But if the outside was imposing and beautiful, greater beauties greeted the eye when 
once you crossed the threshold. 

Mounting the broad freestone steps of its pillared portico, the clang of its shining 
brass knocker opens the door to us and we stand in the broad front hall, held speechless 
as we gaze at its great proportions. Extending the length of the house, nearly sixteen 
feet in width, its massive doors, its mahogany wainscotting, its wide, low stepping 
staircase, with finely carved mahogany railing, leading up to a landing where a seat, 
beneath a cathedral window flanked by Corinthian columns, tempts one to stop and 
gaze on the garden below; and its walls hung with panelled paper, telling, by pictured 
story and emblem, the history of some by gone day, all prove it to be the centre of 




MAIN ENTRANCE 



attraction of the whole house. On the right of the hall is the parlor or reception room, 
its panelled wainscotting, carved frieze and fireplace of panels bordered by these same 
carved Corinthian columns, being all of white, while on the left, the large banqueting 
or state dining room is also in white but panelled from floor to ceiling, its mantel being 




MAIN SIAIRCAbE 



a marvel of beauty, with rich carving of fruit and flowers, festooning a central panel 
containing a painting of such value that it sold, in later years, for three thousand 
dollars. Leading from this room is the family dining room with windows looking 
into the garden, while hidden behind the panelling of the fireplace are the double 
iron doors of a safe, built into the chimney, where the family silver and valuables 
could be safely hidden in case of sudden alarm. 

Across the hall, at the rear, is the kitchen. Here doors to right and left open, one 
on the hall of the side entrance to the house, the other to a passage leading to the cook 
house and slave quarters, a brick building on the east, whose lower story sheltered the 
family coach, while above slept the slaves, for Colonel Lee had many who were kept 
busy loading and unloading his vessels, as they came into port. That cooking was 
done in some outer kitchen or cook house is evident from the size and build of the 
oven in this family kitchen, which could hardly roast a turkey let alone the loaves of 



bread, pots of beans and puddings which made up a baking in those days. It rather 
served to keep the dishes warm for the family table. 

On the second floor the same proportions and beauties are found as below. The 
large state or guest chamber over the banqueting room and the smaller one over the 
parlor, both show the panelled wainscotting, carved friezes and pictured paper, while 
recessed windows, with broad window seats, panelled shutters, with H and L hinges, 
shining brass knobs and escutcheons and tiled fireplaces abound in all the rooms, of 
which there are four, beside a small dressing room leading off the state chamber, and 
a large linen closet or press in one of the rear rooms. 

From this same rear room a staircase leads to the third floor, while in the kitchen 
chamber, what appears to be half of a double closet door opens on what is known as 
the secret staircase, ending at this same floor and giving easy access to the tower from 
one's chamber when on the lookout for danger. 

On the third floor one passage runs north and south, the other east and west. The 
walls here are covered with papers of a Japanese design. 



MAIN STAIRCASE, SHOWING OVAL WINDOW 
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Two large chambers open on the first passage, the south one having recessed 
windows and tiled fireplace, the north, while lacking the recessed windows, has a small 
dressing room leading from it. On the easterly passage two small rooms open with no 
visible means of heating while the passage ends at the back staircase. Two rear rooms 
remain on this floor, one over the kitchen chamber. It is to this room that the secret 
staircase leads, and an inner lumber or trunk room. The back staircase, with panelled 




BANQUET ROOM 



wainscotting and carved rails its entire length, leads down to the side or easterly en- 
trance to the house and opens on the yard, where the date of the building, 1768, is set 
in white cobble stones, among the grey stones of the paving, which as well as the broad 
granite steps were religiously scrubbed, every Saturday, by later occupants of the 
house. 

Our tour of the building is not complete without a trip to the tower or " Cupola." 



up a short flight of steps on the easterly passage a small landing and then a little 
winding staircase brings us to the tower, where six small cathedral windows overlook 
not only the harbor and bay but the whole town scattered as it was among the rocks 
and under the headlands. On our way down, an open door into the attic, shows us 
the solid framework of the house from its hand-hewn beams and rafters held together 
by wooden dowels, and its two huge chimneys, while its English construction is shown 
by the windows, thrown in instead of outside the building, reflecting light from the 
windows of the hall below. Even the cellar is interesting in this old mansion with its 
floor paved in some intricate zig-zag pattern and its brick arches forming huge store 
closets and many a barrel and bale from foreign port must have ended its journey here. 

And this is the Lee Mansion as it was in those Colonial days when the great rooms 
echoed with laughter and music and the waxen tapers shone on men in short clothes, 
silver buckles and gold lace, women in trailing brocades, powder, puffs and rare laces, 
and the negro servants coming and going on many a household errand. 

But Jeremiah Lee had not long to enjoy his beautiful home, for even then there 
were rumors of troubles to come and when, in a year or two such questions as the 
" Boston Port Bill " " Undue Taxation " and the " Tea " question were agitating the 
little town, while storms at sea wrought disaster to the fleets, there were hard times 
among its people, and Jeremiah Lee was taking an active part in all its affairs. 

When with Col. Azor Orne he was elected to the Continental Congress, he, with 
Orne, was obliged to decline, owing to the great expense, and Elbridge Gerry was then 
sent, at the town's expense, afterward becoming Vice-President of the United States, 

(1). Our late townsman J. H. Orne, Esq., speaks thus of Lee : " As moderator 
of important town meetings, as town officer in various capacities, as representative in 
the " General Court " and as a member of the province " Committee of Safety and Sup- 
plies " he rendered faithful public service. 

Elbridge Gerry and Azor Orne were also members of the same important 
committee and having attended one of its meetings held at Weatherby's Black Horse 
Tavern, in Cambridge, on the 18th of April, 1775, the three members from Marblehead, 
being considerable distance from home, resolved to spend the night there. It was 
during that night that eight hundred British soldiers started for Lexington and Concord. 
Reaching Cambridge, the battahon halted while a detachment was sent to capture the 

(1). From Deeds of our Ancestors by J. H. Orne, Esq. Printed in the Messenger, 1875. 




KITCHEN FIREPLACE 



three " rebels." Aroused from their slumbers and warned of their danger, they hur- 
riedly left the house and escaped across the fields leaving their clothing behind. The 
detachment departed after an unsuccessful search, the battalion moving on, the three 
patriots left their place of concealment and recovered their clothing. It is said that 
Lee never recovered from the illness contracted by this exposure, and now, when his 
abilities and experience were of great importance to his country, his friends were 
summoned to his dying bed at his " country seat in Newbury " where he breathed his 
last just three weeks after his narrow escape at Cambridge. Thus died one of the 
earliest martyrs to the patriot cause never forgetting his country or its needs while 
sense remained, for it is said that one of the last acts of his life, was to provide a legacy 
in his will of five thousand pounds for the " Province Treasury." 

While our late Historian Roads says — 

(2), " The death of this eminent patriot at a time when his inestimable services 
were of more value than ever to the town and province, was universally lamented," 

(2). History and Traditions of Marblehead by Samuel Roads, Jr. ^ 



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STATE CHAMBER 



In the various positions of trust and honor which he had held, as an enterprising 
and successful merchant, and as an " ardent, active, and able advocate for the Liberties 
and Independence of his Country," he inspired the confidence and esteem of all 
who knew him. In his private intercourse, with his fellowmen, he was admired for 
the urbanity of his manners, and beloved for his generous disposition and benevolence 
to the poor." 

He was buried in the church yard of the New Meeting House (Unitarian) in 
Marblehead, where his tomb may still be seen. Colonel Lee married in 1745 Miss 
Martha Swett of Marblehead and eight children were born to them descendants of 
whom are being heard from in different parts of the country. Life size portraits of 
Colonel Lee and his wife, painted by the famous Copley, now hang in the Art Museum 
in Boston. 

But the doors of the mansion were not closed by Mistress Lee, on the death of 
her husband, but were ever open to the townspeople. Washington on his visit to the 



town in 1781 was entertained at lunch here, while Marquis De Lafayette, the friend 
of Washington, also enjoyed the hospitality of the great house in 1784, and historian 
Roads tells us that " President Monroe received here the hospitality of the citizens, 
and here Andrew Jackson shook the hands of the sturdy fishermen, who almost wor- 
shipped the old hero, and were so true to him through life." 

Col. William Raymond Lee, of Revolutionary fame, the nephew of Jeremiah Lee, 
made his home here later, with his aunt, assisting her in the care of the estate. In 
the final settlement the house came into the possession of Chief Justice Sewall, who 
sold it in 1804 to the Marblehead Bank. For over a hundred years one of the front 
rooms and later the other were used as banking rooms, and the various cashiers have 
reared their large families here. 

The front door has always been open to visitors to view its fine old staircase and 
hall, while many a social event has taken place in the upper rooms, the later occupants 
of the house carrying out the same hospitable ideas as the original owners. 




BACK CHAMBER, THIRD FLOOR 



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GUEST CHAMBER, THIRD FLOOR FRONT 



What the mansion was in the days of the Lees, it practically is to-day in build, if 
not in purpose. 

" Across its antique portico " still falls the shadow of the elms, while its broad 
freestone steps have been worn smooth with the tread of many feet, some on business 
intent, others to view the old mansion, for scarcely a visitor to Marblehead has been 
allowed to depart without this inspection. 

On May 9, 1898, the Marblehead Historical Society was organized, its members 
being the trustees past and present of Abbot Public Library. Its first collection was 
placed in the library. In August, 1899, its first loan exhibition was held, and a wealth 
of articles of rare historic value was brought out from the homes of the town, many 
of them brought from foreign ports, by the merchant men of the town, and held as 
treasures by their descendants. When the exhibition ended, so many of these articles 
had been given to the society that a room was rented of the Young Men's Christian 
Association in the " King Hooper Mansion," where the exhibition had been held. But 




BACK STAIRCASE, LOOKING BACK 

the close of the year found the collection increased from one hundred to two and larger 
quarters were needed, so on November 1, 1900, the society removed to the brick build- 
ing next door to the mansion, formerly the slave quarters. Here they remained for 
nine years their collection reaching into the second thousand, and membership increas- 



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PANEL, ARCH OF VESPASIAN 

ing as well. Being again overcrowded and feeling that could they have some historic 
building with more room for display, many of the larger articles of furniture held by 
families in the town might come into the care of the society. Living next door to the 
Lee Mansion our eyes had turned longingly toward it. Knowing the place that it held in 
the hearts of the townspeople, and that it could be purchased, it was thought wise to 
arouse public interest in that direction. Accordingly in August, 1907, a second loan 
exhibition was held in Abbot Hall and " The Lee Mansion " became our slogan. At 
the close of this exhibition, lasting one week, we had with gifts from sons and daughters 
of Marblehead living out of the town about seven hundred dollars toward buying that 
or some other building and had at least turned public sentiment in that direction. Later 
when the building fell under the auctioneer's hammer, for three thousand five hundred 
dollars, and it was rumored that the fine old mansion was to be ruthlessly shorn of its 
carvings and beautiful staircase, it seemed like an act of desecration to the townspeople 
and a few ladies of the society started out on a crusade, to see what could be done to 



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reclaim the old landmark. As a result a very enthusiastic meeting of the society was 
held and it was unanimously voted to purchase the building, from the buyers at the 
auction, for fifty-five hundred dollars, the price then given. 

A soliciting committee was appointed to canvass the town and gifts came in from 
young and old, in town and out, resident and summer visitors. Three thousand dollars 
was raised in this way, the rest being given on mortgage. New members came in by 
the hundred and on July 9, 1909, we came into the possession of the building. Repairs 
were begun at once and the doors thrown open to the public. It was the purpose of 
the society to keep the mansion as nearly as possible as it was originally, so partitions 
were taken down, old papers reproduced, fireplaces opened up and retiled, rooms 
painted and papered as needed ; the fine old imported paper being in good preservation, 
after one hundred and forty years of use and disuse, was cleaned and repaired and the 
rooms were gradually filled with the rare old furniture which began to come in. The 
garden which was not included in the sale of the building was next added to our posses- 
sions and a " Friendship " border started here. Since the purchase of the mansion 
visitors by the thousands have flocked to its doors each year from every State and 
country, many returning to bring others with them. Artists have raved over its 
beauties and architects begged to copy its ingenious carvings and decorations. 

Its historical collection, numbering now nearly four thousand, includes not only 
documents, china, portraits, embroidery, and the products of Chippendale and Hepple- 
thwaite but the various industries of the town, from early years, are represented and 
many miscellaneous articles pertaining to the town's history, have their home here. 

The house is open from early spring until late fall. Afternoon tea is served on 
Saturday afternoon during the summer months and a Colonial Tea yearly. The 
proceeds of these together with the small admission fee which is charged, and the sale 
of souvenirs, pay its running expenses while an occasional fair or cake sale is helping 
to reduce the mortgage debt. 

Jeremiah Lee builded better than he knew when he placed his home in the heart 
of the little town, and the reclaimed mansion stands to-day a monument not only of 
the early prosperity of the town, but a reminder to young and old of Lee and others of 
his day, who gave of their best to their town and their country. As it was " the pride 
and wonder of their day " it is still the joy and '' admiration of our own," 



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